When buying electronic products online, there are many advantages, but also some disadvantages. Here are some tips to help you take advantage of online shopping the next time you need an electronic item.

Prices

One of the main reasons people buy electronics online is so that they can more easily compare prices, without having to visit many stores that may be miles away. Online, you can compare prices on something, all in the same browser. One thing that can make price comparison easier is to use price comparison search engines. There are sites like PriceGrabber and Nextag that show a product and show you prices and even shipping costs to your location for dozens or hundreds of different stores. These sites can save you time and money!

Privacy & Security

One aspect of shopping online that you probably don’t have to worry about when shopping offline is security. That is, the security of your credit card number and your personal information. Never, never give a store personal information like your social security number, they don’t need it. You should always be aware of their security policy and make sure that when you enter your credit card information, the page should be a secure shopping cart page, to be displayed with a padlock or other secure notice somewhere in the window of your browser. One way to make sure the store is legitimate and trustworthy is to see if they clearly display your contact information, including your phone number and address. Night flight sites often don’t have a phone number or an actual address to display. You can also use free online tools to verify the validity of a phone number and address.

Return policy

Be sure to read the return policy of any online store you shop from. Many online stores may charge a “restocking fee” of up to 30% of the item’s price. If you have bought a TV or other expensive item, then 30% may be a large sum of money that you are losing. Make sure they offer returns with no bogus additional charges. The only way to be sure of the return policy is to read it carefully. Many stores may try to hide the return policy by burying the link on an inside page, only shop at stores that disclose their return policy with a clear link directly on their home page and on every page.

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